Out Of This World
by LunarRhapsody
Summary: Jusenkyo was a bit different this time around. Now instead of a panda and a pigtailed girl, a red-headed scientist and a mysterious silver-haired girl are crashing Nerima - and bringing with them even more trouble! Tokyo had better watch out!
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Hey. LR here, back with another classic-style fanfic. It's probably filled to the brim with cliches, the least of which is retreading the first couple of chapters of the Ranma manga, but in this case it's important. It will eventually diverge from the canon timeline. Still, I hope you enjoy.

* * *

It was an overcast day in Nerima, Tokyo. The clouds above were a foreboding gray, and an ominous wind blew through the air. A man sat on the side of a large compound, the garden visible from the front door. His long flowing hair and mustachioed face were straight, and his composed posture as he looked out onto the garden was disciplined, but seemed to be hiding something.

'Mr Tendo! Mail for you!'

Soun Tendo looked over towards the Tendo compound's door, raising his eyebrows. The mail? Delivering it a time like this?

Oh well, he wasn't complaining.

A quick trip to the compound doors and back to the balcony overlooking the garden later, Soun was rifling through the mail. One piece of mail was obviously an advertisement, so he discarded that. Another was a brochure from a gym that looked like a total scam, so he discarded that too.

5 minutes later, Soun sighed, looking at the second last letter in the pile. So many of the letters had been nothing but advertisements. He didn't think he'd seen one that wasn't an advertisement yet - including this one.

He threw the letter a shake of his head. He felt tears almost form in his eyes as he looked up at the sky. Would something ever come to shake up the boredom of his daily routine?

He grasped the remaining letter hard, the glossy cardboard pressing into his thumb-

Soun blinked. Letters weren't made of glossy cardboard.

He looked down at the remaining letter.

Or rather, letter and postcard.

The postcard had a picture of a crab on it. Soun turned it around. On the other side was the message, which looked for all the world more like a work of art than a message. It read 'I'm bringing Ranma from China - Saotome.' There was something scribbled out before the name 'Saotome', which looked like it had been written by an entirely different person.

Soun looked at the postcard, not sure what to make of it. His best friend, Genma Saotome, was obviously the one to have written this letter, but either his calligraphy had gotten better or he'd hired a calligrapher to write for him. Also, the I was not 'Ore' but 'Watashi'.

But the thought of Ranma, Genma's boy, finally coming to fulfil the obligation expected of him, banished all of his worries from his mind and brought Soun to tears. 'Ranma, coming here? Oh, how I've waited for this day!' he said, tears of happiness streaming down his face.

How would he celebrate this momentous occasion?

Why, by telling his daughters, of course!

A few minutes later, Soun sat in the family room. He sat on one side, while his three daughters - the athletic yet long-haired Akane, the short-haired and smart Nabiki, and the demure and beautiful Kasumi - sat on the other side.

'Fiance?'

Soun nodded with a smile on his face. 'Yes, the son of a very good friend of mine. The son's name is Ranma Saotome. If one of you three girls were to marry him and carry on this dojo, then the Tendo family legacy would be secure.'

'Wait a minute!' Akane, his youngest and most hotheaded (and most interested in training, given she'd just gotten back from a run and practicing and was still wearing her gi), protested, glaring at him. 'Don't _we_ have some say in who we marry?'

Kasumi, his eldest and kindest, spoke up. 'Akane's right, Daddy. We've never even _met_ Ranma.'

Soun's eyebrows rose in humour, and he chuckled. 'That's easily fixed.'

* * *

'Hey, quit it with the chasin', old man! I ain't gonna be staying anywhere until this thing is fixed!'

'Do I look like an old man to you? No! I'm a beautiful scientist!'

Tokyo was a weird place.

'Still the same dumb old man at heart!'

'Grr… Why, you!'

Even so, when it got a bit much, people tended to get out of the way and watch. After all, some battles were a bit above the normal Tokyo weirdness factor

Like the current battle that was going on between a spiky-silver-haired girl with weirdly shaped ears and yellow eyes who was floating in midair, and a younger girl with a similar but longer hairstyle who was using a gun that looked like it was out of Star Wars to shoot oddly coloured beams towards the other girl.

The older girl turned around and flashed the younger one a smug grin, sticking her tongue out and pulling her lower eyelid down. 'Biii! You can't get me, you stuperk.'

The word 'Stuperk' didn't particularly mean anything, aside from the fact that the flying girl had just been hit by one of the beams the young girl had been shooting, and as a result stopped moving and dropped like a brick.

The little girl pocketed her gun in her small black pants and dusted her hands off, a smug grin on her face that was even larger than her silver-haired counterpart's. 'That's what you get for calling me stupid,' she said. She put her hand in the same pocket afterwards, rifling around for a bit, then removing her hand with another mysterious-looking device. It looked a bit like a white stick with a claw on the end, a small green ball embedded in the end.

The girl pointed the device towards her former opponent and pressed a button on the side. The claw opened up and an unearthly glow came from within the ball.

A bright green beam shot out of the ball, enveloping the silver-haired girl in an unearthy aura. The redhead moved the device upwards from where it was pointing, and the other girl was lifted up into the air, the green aura still enveloping her.

The redhead gave a smile. 'Alright then!' she said. Holding the claw device in front of her, she started moving again, this time at a more leisurely pace; the girl in the green aura was moved alongside her. 'Now, I have to tell you a couple of things before we get to my friend's house…'

* * *

'Ranma and his father have been on a voyage of training; recently, they went to China.'

'Wow! China!' Nabiki said, leaning forward and thinking about all the ancient treasures that could be found there. They had to have brought back at least some of those ancient treasures.

Akane, however, looked away, an annoyed expression on her face. 'What's so great about walking to China?' she asked.

'How old is he?' Kasumi asked, a worried expression on her face. 'I do hope he's not younger than me… That kind of relationship wouldn't be proper.'

'Is he cute?' asked Nabiki. 'And what's he like?'

Soun laughed, then his expression turned stony. 'No idea.'

Nabiki leaned in. 'No idea?'

'I've never met him.'

Suddenly, a somewhat deep feminine voice rang out from the front door. 'Let go of me, you old hag!'

'Who's an old hag?!' came another voice that sounded younger and more feminine yet at the same time carried a sort of authority to it.

'We have visitors!' Kasumi said, standing up.

Nabiki had already taken off, her father close behind. 'It must be Ranma!' she squealed.

Soun could already see Genma in his mind's eye, although the young feminine voice threw him off a bit, but he supposed that his friend could have picked up a few tagalongs on the way. 'Saotome, my friend! We've been waiting!' he shouted.

As Kasumi walked towards the door, Akane stood up behind her. ' _Boys… How depressing,_ ' she thought to herself, a sad sigh coming from her lips. She looked down at the ground and started after her oldest sister. It always seemed to be boys. Boys, boys, boys.

Even one of her best friends, Sayuri, had gone all boy-crazy recently (not that boys were the only thing she was crazy about), and even the slightly shy Yuka had been interested in meeting with boys. If only she could just meet a girl like her, someone who wasn't interested in boys at the moment…

Then, she looked up again.

Her father, Kasumi, and Nabiki were standing just in front of the gate to the compound, looking for all the world like they'd just seen a ghost.

She walked up to them, pushing through her sisters to reach the door. It took some time, since the seemed to be barely even conscious.

Akane grew worried. 'Daddy? Nabiki? Kasumi? What's wrong-' Akane cut herself off, and felt her mouth drop open.

In front of her was a pair of girls. This wasn't too out of the ordinary.

What was out of the ordinary was what the girls looked like.

One of the girls - the one standing up, and the younger-looking one (she couldn't have been more than 12) – had long red spiky hair, and was wearing an odd set of clothes. She had a hair ornament, and her eyes were a piercing green. She held in her hands an odd claw-like object which seemed to be glowing, a green beam shooting out of it.

In front of her was a girl who looked about Akane's age, wearing a similarly odd piece of clothing. She was glaring up at the smaller girl, her arms crossed over her chest and one leg crossed over the other. Her body was surrounded by a green light, almost the same intensity as a lightsaber from Star Wars. The most surprising thing, though, was her features – features that made Akane almost freeze in terror.

The older girl had bright silver - _bright silver_ \- hair, styled like some sort of punk, and her ears were somewhat pointed. Her eyes were an odd yellow, and slitted like a cat's.

She looked like a monster.

Akane shook her head, looking again, then almost breathed an audible sigh of relief. The monstrous features had disappeared, leaving an overall normal-looking girl, albeit one who had bright silver hair. ' _Probably just a trick of the light,_ ' she thought to herself, but couldn't quite put those features she could have sworn she'd seen out of her mind.

She could see her sisters and father move back a little in her periphery, whispering among themselves, but Akane couldn't look away from the silver-haired girl. It was like she was in a trance.

Suddenly, the redheaded girl spoke up while looking down at her companion, snapping Akane out of it. 'We're here, so I can let you down if you want. All you need to do is say it.' She grew a smile, but the look on her face was something between malice and mischievousness.

Akane heard her father and sisters shuffle closer again.

The other girl's glare intensified. 'I'm not gonna say somethin' so demeanin', ya know.'

Akane's eyes darted between the two girls, watching their non-verbal battle, when after a few seconds the redhead sighed. 'Fine,' she bit out. 'Probably a bad idea with Soun-chan here anyway.'

Soun stiffened slightly at that. No-one ever called him Soun-chan - at least not anymore, and the only person who had called him that recently had done it in a hypnosis-induced craze. Several bad memories from that time floated up, and he shuddered.

Meanwhile, the redhead holding the device seemed to fiddle around with it a bit, and the silver-haired girl rotated in mid-air until she was facing the Tendo family. Then the redhead pressed a button, which resulted in her companion being dropped on the ground unceremoniously, the green light and beam disappearing instantly.

The silver-haired girl's head turned to shoot a glare at the redhead, before turning back around and staring at the Tendos, her expression turning blank before morphing into one of nervousness.

Soun stared at the girl before something popped into his head. He pointed at her. 'You wouldn't happen to be…'

The silver-haired girl looked down and to the side. 'Ranma Saotome.' She adjusted the top collar of her odd attire. 'Sorry 'bout this.'

Soun's face went through a myriad of emotions, starting with confusion and ending with joy. 'At last! You've come!' he shouted, reaching his arms out and grabbing the girl by her shoulders. Then he pulled her into a hug.

'Daddy,' Nabiki said. 'Ranma is a girl.'

Soun froze, and Ranma shifted uncomfortably. He pulled back, holding Ranma by her arms and looking towards her - more specifically, at her chest.

A second later, Soun fainted.

* * *

Soun lay down in the living room, tears streaming down his face. Sitting down next to him were his three daughters and the girl who was supposed to marry them. Sitting off to the side was the redheaded little girl, rummaging through her pockets with a dour expression on her face.

'I thought Ranma was supposed to be a boy,' Nabiki said, her arms crossed.

'He told me he had a son!'

'Does this look like a son to you!' Nabiki poked at Ranma's left breast.

The silver-haired girl swatted the hand away, glaring at Nabiki. 'Quit it.'

Then Ranma felt a weight on her shoulder. She looked at the girl sitting next to her; the girl was shorter than her, but had long hair going down her back that was a dark blue, almost black. She was wearing a white gi.

The girl smiled. 'Hi. Join me in the dojo?' Her smile grew brighter. 'I'm Akane. Want to be friends?'

Ranma gave a small smile back. '...Yeah, I guess.'

While Nabiki and Soun were still arguing and the little girl continued rifling through her pockets, Ranma and Akane slipped out of the room, Akane leading Ranma towards the dojo.

When they walked in, Ranma's eyes scanned over the room. There was a Kamidana on the wall, and some couches for watchers. Two pictures also hung on the wall. Otherwise, it was pristine.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Akane spoke. 'Aren't you going to change into something different?'

Her attention brought towards Akane again, she shook her head. 'Nah; I'm not allowed, see.'

Akane blinked. 'Not allowed?' she asked, tilting her head.

Ranma nodded, grumbling. 'Yeah.' She sighed. 'That old hag told me I had to for some reason. I still don't get it, though…'

'Old hag?' Akane asked. 'Do you mean the little girl who was with you earlier? Who is she, anyway?'

Ranma looked away, tapping her foot on the ground. A bead of sweat formed on her forehead. 'Aheh… I'll tell you later,' she said, avoiding eye contact with Akane.

'Okay…' Akane shook her head. 'Anyway, you're a martial artist, right?'

Ranma looked back at Akane, an eyebrow arched. '...You could say that,' she said.

'Wanna spar?'

Ranma blinked. Then, she gave an awkward smile. 'You sure about that? I don't know if it'd be fair…'

Akane smiled. 'Come on, I promise I'll go easy on you.'

After a few seconds of staring, Ranma sighed, closing her eyes. 'Well, don't say I didn't warn you.'

The two girls settled a few meters in front of each other. Akane took up a stance, while Ranma just stood there, waiting.

After a few seconds of just standing there, Akane realized that she would have to make the first move. So focusing, she closed her eyes for a second, then snapped them open. She ran towards Ranma, pulling her fist back to prepare for a strike.

She thrust her fist forward, expecting it to hit Ranma. Instead, the blue-haired girl effortlessly dodged, jumping up in such a way that it almost seemed like she was floating.

Akane followed up with an upwards-facing kick, but Ranma spread her legs outwards, avoiding the kick before seemingly moving backwards in mid-air, and dropping to the ground, her feet touching the planks that made up the dojo floor.

Slowly, Akane's attacks intensified, but every punch and kick she tried was dodged by Ranma. After a particularly quick flurry of punches that Ranma avoided just by tilting her body back, Akane's eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. How was Ranma dodging her so easily? Was she predicting her movements?

The long-haired martial artist pulled back a couple of meters. She focused deep within herself, clenching her hands and closing her eyes. Then they snapped open. 'This time… for real!' she shouted.

She flew forward at a speed that seemed unnatural, and punched.

What she didn't expect was for her hand to go straight through Ranma's torso.

Akane's eyes widened in horror, looking at her hand going through the other, taller girl's chest. She had expected Ranma to dodge, or be more durable, or anything! She started to shake.

'Pfft.'

Akane stopped shaking. She looked up at Ranma's face.

The other girl didn't look like her chest had just been punched through. In fact, her cheeks were blown up, her eyes tearing up, and she looked to be… suppressing laughter?

'BWAHAHA!' Ranma fell onto her back, Akane's outstretched fist passing _through_ her chest, which looked unmarred. She could barely hold her laughter.

Akane's mouth dropped open, her eyes widening, just staring at the other girl who become intangible like some sort of ghost or sorcerer.

Ranma's laughter mostly died down, ending on a hearty chuckle. 'Heh… You shoulda seen the look on your face,' she said. She sprang to her feet like a cat, a feline smile on her face. Oh, and by the way…' She seemed to disappear, and Akane could feel a pair of fingers on the back of her head. 'I win.'

Akane spun around quickly. The silver-haired punk-looking girl had appeared right behind her, and was holding her fingers to Akane's forehead now. Akane started to laugh.

Soon, both girls were laughing together. The laughter died down, and Akane gave Ranma a smile, trying to hide the slight unease she still felt from Ranma's little prank. Her throat was dry. 'That was a great match. Say, how did you do that?'

Ranma smirked. 'Just a little trick I picked up somewhere on the road.'

Akane's bright smile grew. 'Can you teach me how to do that, then?'

Ranma blinked, then looked away. She shifted a bit. 'Uh, I dunno. Maybe. I'll… get back to you on that.'

Akane deflated, and walked past Ranma, her feet padding on the wooden planks. A little behind Ranma, she stopped, and her smile returned. 'Still, I'm just glad you're a girl.'

Ranma stiffened, looking back. The expression on her face was blank. 'Huh?'

'It's just, I'd really hate losing to a boy.'

Ranma's shoulders slackened.

* * *

A few minutes earlier, in the Tendo compound's living room, the redheaded girl paused in her rifling and watched as Akane led her daughter to the dojo. She smiled; hopefully Akane would help the girl to adapt.

Shaking her head, she went back to rifling around in her pockets. The other Tendo girls looked to be restless, about to go off and do their own thing, so she increased her pace.

Finally, she found it - the device that would allow her to explain all this to Soun and his daughters. A grin split her face, and she turned to face them. 'Hey, all of you!' The three people in the room sat up, I suppose I should introduce myself.'

She pulled out the device, which looked like a small container of the type you would keep salt in, and pressed a button on the side. She felt the hot water hit her body, and immediately it transformed from the form of a young redheaded girl wearing an odd set of clothing into a middle-aged man wearing a white dogi and a bandana.

Nabiki and Kasumi's eyes immediately zeroed in on herself.

Soun sat up immediately. 'Saotome?' he whispered. The man opposite him did look like his best friend Genma, but he wasn't wearing any glasses, and the smile on his face he'd only seen once before.

'Yes, it's me, Soun-chan.' The middle-aged man's eyes crinkled. 'My name is Genma Saotome, and I'm the head of the Saotome branch of the Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu.'

The odd manner of address that Genma had for their father didn't fly over Nabiki and Kasumi's heads, who looked at each other curiously. Meanwhile, Soun paled. 'Oh no,' he said. 'It happened again.'

Genma tilted his head. 'What do you mean?' he asked. Then, he shook his head. 'Hold on a second.' He pressed another button on the salt-shaker device, and cold water spurted out of it, turning him back into a her, the gi changing back into the odd outfit she wore before. ' _Ah, that's better_ ,' she thought. 'Anyway, I wasn't finished. I was also going to say that I'm the greatest scientific genius in the world!' She pulled a pair of paper fans out of nowhere; they looked like they'd been painted over, and read 'Genma-chan' on them.

Right away, Soun was in front of Genma, shaking her by her shoulders. 'Saotome! Did it happen again? How did this transformation happen to you? You need to snap out of it!'

Genma responded by whacking Soun on the head with one of the fans, which was apparently harder than it looked going by the reaction the long-haired man (who had let go of Genma and was cradling his head) had. 'Quit it, Soun-chan. I don't even know what you're talking about, with the 'happening again' thing.' She shook her head with her eyes closed, sighing. Then, her eyes opened, and she gave a smile. 'Anyway, if you want to hear what happened to make me like this,' she gestured at her body, 'then we can wait until Ranma-chan and her new friend come back from the Dojo.' Then her face hardened again. 'Also, while I'm in this form, call me 'Genma-chan', please.'

Soun grew even paler, looking more like a vampire than anything. His eyes rolled up into the back of his skull, and he fell down onto the floor with a thud..

Nabiki was studying the girl who was apparently an older man, her eyes narrowed in thought. She certainly didn't act like a middle-aged man would.

Kasumi just blinked and held her hand over her mouth in surprise. 'Oh, my.'

* * *

The Tendos sat on one side of the table and their two guests sat on the other.

Genma had demonstrated her transformation to Akane when she and Ranma had returned from the Dojo. The youngest Tendo didn't know how to feel about it; she was stupefied by the seemingly magical transformation the young girl had made into a middle-aged man and back again.

So she had demanded an explanation. Genma had complied. And that was why they were there now.

'So, you want to know about how this all came about, eh? How I, who was once a bald, dumb older man, turned into the scientific genius you see before you today?'

'Get to the point, hag,' Ranma said, grumbling. She had her arms crossed, and was looking away from the tiny genius.

The tiny genius pouted at Ranma. 'Do you have to be so rude to your own m- father?'

Nabiki's eyes narrowed.

'Anyway, as I was going to say, this all started two weeks ago, when Ranma and I were in China…'

* * *

It was a bright and sunny day in the Bayankala Mountain Range. In a clearing at the bottom of Mount Quanjing, a young boy, maybe 16 with black hair, blue eyes and a ponytail, looked at the training grounds his father had brought him to. There were a bunch of natural springs, poles of bamboo sticking out of them.

'Ranma, are you prepared?'

The black-haired boy snorted, looking at the glasses-wearing man beside him. 'This is the 'legendary training grounds' you were talkin' about? They don't look so legendary to me; more like a bunch of old springs with bamboo in 'em.'

A short chinese man stood to the side, looking at the two in concern from a safe vantage point. 'Sirs, you sure you want to train here? This very dangerous training ground. Is more than one hundred spring here, and each with own tragic tale!'

'Ranma, follow me!' Genma barked out. He jumped, and Ranma jumped after him.

The two of them landed on opposing bamboo poles, taking up martial arts stances. Genma's face was serious. 'I won't go easy on you.'

Ranma's face sported a similar expression. 'That's how I like it.'

Soon, an unspoken signal passed through the air, and Ranma and Genma jumped to meet each other in mid-air. Genma aimed a flying kick towards Ranma, shouting out a kiai, but Ranma twisted around Genma's kick and pushed off his father's head, sending the older man shooting into the spring down below.

Ranma landed on a pole of bamboo just as his father splashed into the water, disappearing underneath the surface. He smirked, looking down at the spring, which was bubbling. 'Gotcha.'

After a few seconds, he frowned. 'Pops? What's holdin' you up? We done?'

Suddenly, a small form broke the water. Jumping up onto the pole opposite him and standing on a single toe, the small form resolved into a young girl with wet hair going halfway down her back. A girl who seemed to be wearing the same clothes as her old man.

Ranma's eyes bugged out. 'Pops?' he said, trying to keep from choking.

'Of course, boy; who else do you think… it could be…' His 'father' trailed off, and looked down at himself - or rather, herself. 'Eh?'

'Oh no! That is Spring of Drowned Little Girl!' Ranma could hear the guide saying as he looked over the girl opposite him who could only be his father. 'It very tragic tale from only week ago! Now whoever fall in spring take body of little girl!'

Ranma's father-turned-girl's eyes seemed to flash dangerously. 'Ranma! How dare you!' she growled. Jumping forward, she aimed a kick at the young man.

Normally, Ranma would be able to block. But at that point in time, he was too shocked by his father's transformation into a little girl to do so, and all he could do was let the kick hit him.

As he flew through the air, he noted that even like that, his pop didn't seem to hit any softer.

All his thoughts were pushed aside as he hit the pool, and suddenly his body felt different and odd - yet at the same time, it felt strangely familiar, like visiting an old home you'd moved out of.

He surfaced from the pool, and the guide gasped. 'Aiya! Sir fall into Spring of Drowned Silver-Haired Monster Girl; tragic story connected to Spring of Drowned Little Girl! Both Little Girl and Blue-Haired Monster Girl drown on same day one week ago!'

Ranma felt his - or rather, her - gi hug against her skin tightly. She looked down at her body.

A pair of breasts had seemed to grow on her chest; they were barely hidden by her gi.

She looked back up at her 'father,' who seemed to be wearing a smug smile on her face.

She growled. Instinctively, she could feel herself float up from the pool, until she stopped in mid-air, in front of her transformed father. 'Pop,' she said, her voice low.

Genma blinked. Hundreds of plans flitted through her mind in the next few seconds, which was odd since normally only a few plans did. Unfortunately, she had none of the resources to conduct any of those plans.

So, she fell back onto the next best thing: She ran.

* * *

'...and that's how I became the wonderful scientific genius you see before you today, and how Ranma here became my beautiful daughter,' Genma finished, wearing a proud smile on her face.

'...So Ranma's really a boy?' Akane asked. Her eyes were glistening, and her lip quivered as she sent a hurt look towards the 'girl'.

Ranma shifted, looking away.

Genma scratched her head. 'Well, provided the fact that Ranma's body does not undergo a phase-shift when it comes into contact with water in excess of the temperature of 38 degrees celsius - I know, I've tested - then technically, I would have to answer in the negative.'

Ranma coughed.

Genma looked over at the Tendos, who all seemed to be confused, Soun most of all. She put a hand to her forehead and sighed. 'Ranma doesn't change back into a boy with hot water, so no, even if she was previously a boy she's not one any more.'

Even with the small girl's words, all Akane could think about was 'she was previously a boy'. She stood up, shooting a hurt look towards Ranma, before walking out of the room.

Ranma didn't notice the hurt look, though, given she was too busy glaring at Genma. 'Pops! I'm still a guy!' she growled.

Genma closed her eyes and sighed, then opened them, shooting a piercing stare at her daughter. 'Ranma, how many times have I told you that you're not a man any more?'

Ranma crossed her arms and looked away. 'I am! I'm a guy! And once I get this all cured, then we can go back to trainin', or whatever you brought me here for; now can't we just get this over with an' go back to China?'

'No, we're not going back to China,' Genma said, feeling the urge to massage her forehead.

Nabiki cut in. 'So since Ranma's a girl, that means the engagement's cut off, right?'

Ranma blinked, looking over at Nabiki. '...Engagement?' she asked, an edge to her voice.

'Oh yeah, didn't your _father_ tell you? You're slated to be engaged with me or one of my sisters. I guess that can't happen now since you're a girl, right?' Nabiki's face was entirely too innocent.

Ranma stared at Nabiki for a couple of seconds.

Nabiki smiled.

Ranma turned towards Genma, her yellow eyes seeming to glow in anger. 'Pops.' Her voice was quiet but full of malice, and everyone in the room could hear it.

Genma paled and looked down at her wrist, and looked back up with a panicked smile. The red-head stood up in a flash. 'Oh, would you look at the time? I have to go do something for a bit, see you!' She zipped off into the house.

For a few seconds, Ranma was caught off guard at Genma's speed, but when she realized what had happened she started to fume. She opened her mouth like she was about to shout. Then her mouth snapped shut, and she gave a short sigh. 'It ain't worth it,' she muttered.

She looked over at the Tendos who had remained in the room. Soun was just sitting there, tears streaming down his face, while Nabiki had a weird grin on her face. As for Kasumi, the oldest sister was looking up at the roof with a vacant smile. 'Hey, you guys have a bath, right?'

Kasumi was snapped out of her daydream by the odd girl who that mysterious little girl that turned into a man had said was a boy before, and smiled. 'Oh, you want a bath? I can heat it up for you.'

Ranma blinked, her eyes zeroing in on Kasumi. She smiled. 'Sure thing. It's been ages since I've had a hot bath!' She gave a chuckle.

Kasumi smiled back. 'It's really no problem at all, Ranma-chan. It'll take some time, but I should be able to set it up.' She turned around and started to walk off.

'Thanks,' Ranma said to Kasumi's retreating form. She waited a few seconds until the older girl had left the room. Then she looked around. 'Hey, where's Akane?'

'She ran off to her room,' Nabiki said. 'She's probably upset because you used to be a boy.'

Ranma was silent for a couple of seconds, then huffed. 'Really? In case you haven't realized, I'm still a guy.' She crossed her arms over her fairly large chest.

'Not according to what your father said,' Nabiki pointed out.

At this point it was too much for Soun to bear. 'Waaaah! My friend's son is now a girl! Now the agreement will never be completed, and a Tendo will never marry a Saotome…' He trailed off, the veritable deluge of tears that had been flowing from his eyes cutting off. Then he stood up and ran off.

At this point, Ranma and Nabiki were alone in the living room. Ranma sent a glare towards Nabiki. 'I ain't a girl. That's final.'

Nabiki sighed and shook her head.

* * *

'Saotome!' Soun called. He'd looked through every room, and his friend hadn't been anywhere there. Nowhere. He'd need to tell Saotome his plan, otherwise the schools would never be able to be joined… aside from two plans which did not sound very good at all, in Soun's opinion.

'Saotome!' he called again, looking around the hallway he'd positioned himself in. There wasn't much in the hallway, aside from a broom closet, but knowing Saotome he'd probably hidden himself - or herself - in that closet, away from her daughter's wrath.

'What is it, Soun-chan?' The voice came from the broom closet; Soun turned towards it to see Genma poking her head out of it, with an odd glow coming from the opened door. She was wearing a lab coat. 'I was in the middle of something.'

'Saotome, I've figured out a way we can continue the engagement!' Soun's voice was almost ecstatic, and he had a wide smile on his face.

Genma's eyebrow twitched. 'I told you, call me Genma-chan,' she said.

'...Genma-chan, I-I've found a way we can continue the engagement!' Soun said, sweating.

Genma beamed. 'That's better! So, what's this plan?' She pushed the door fully open, revealing a swirling portal behind her. Before Soun could ask what it was, she closed the door.

Soun coughed. 'I have a brother who, while he gave up the Tendo name, is still a Tendo by blood,' he began. 'Since he's-'

'Hold on,' Genma said, holding up a hand. She looked on either side of her, then motioned with a hand for Soun to follow her. 'We can't talk out here.'

Soun raised an eyebrow.

Genma turned around towards the door again. She pulled it open, revealing the swirling portal in full, then looked back at Soun. 'Come on in.'

'Is that…'

She sighed. 'Yes, it's safe. Now come on.' She turned fully to face the portal, and walked in, the surface of the portal rippling like water as she did.

Soun hesitated, then stepped in after her.

The portal was cold to the touch, and when Soun found himself on the other side, he shivered; his skin was buzzing, and bright lights were in his eyes. The buzzing died down after a couple of seconds, and his eyes adjusted.

He found himself in a small room, closed with metal walls and a metal roof. A window in the side of the room looked out onto a forest, although he didn't recognize any of the trees. The floor was metal, too, and looking behind him, he saw a metal door, opened so that the portal led in. He started towards it, but the door seemed to slam shut.

'Soun-chan, sit down.' Genma's voice came from behind him, and he looked back.

She was sitting at a small metal table with a seat on either side, hands interlocked in front of her face. She had a serious look on her face, and a light directly above the table shined down onto her head, casting a shadow that Soun could have sworn looked different from her current appearance.

'Soun-chan?'

Soun shook his head and moved towards the table; he was probably just seeing things. He pulled out the chair and sat in it, pulling it forward. 'So, Saot-'

Genma coughed.

'-G-Genma-chan, as I was saying outside, I have an idea that will allow us to continue the engagement.'

'You were saying that you have a brother, right?' Genma asked.

Soun nodded. 'Yes. I have a brother who lives in Okayama. I've heard that his son is trained in a type of the Art by his grandfather on his mother's side.'

Genma raised an eyebrow. 'So your brother's son, huh?'

Soun gave a smile, and nodded. 'Yes, my brother Nobuyuki's son. His name is Tenchi, and he lives in a shrine outside the town with his grandfather, from what I know… Saotome?'

Genma had stiffened, her eyes wide. Without a warning, she stood up, slamming her hands onto the table and leaning close in to Soun. 'His name is Tenchi? Tenchi Masaki?'

Soun shied away. 'Y-yes, Tenchi Masaki. How do you know his name?' he asked, sweat pooling on his forehead. Genma seemed much scarier than she was the last time she'd visited, and had still been a he.

Genma fell back into her seat, hands still on the table. After a couple of seconds of just staring, eyes wide, she brought one of her hands to her forehead and started massaging it. '...He met Ranma on the training trip we went on as a child. We stopped at the shrine to train for some time.' She started to mutter under her breath, too quiet for Soun to hear, although he thought he heard her say something like 'Princesses' and 'Sister'.

'So, Saotome, what do you think of the idea?'

Genma's expression turned contemplative. 'If we went through with the idea, then…' She looked up at the roof. Then, slowly, a smile spread across Genma's face. She looked up at Soun.

'I like it.'

Then out of nowhere, Genma pulled out a paper fan and smacked Soun on the head with it.

'Also, it's _Genma-chan._ '

As Soun held his head in his hands, tears of pain streaming down his face, Genma fell back into her chair and sighed. ' _Of course. Of_ course _this would happen,_ ' she thought. ' _Well, Tenchi, looks like we're coming back into your life earlier than I thought._ '


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Just would like to say, some elements of Tenchi in this fic are fused between multiple continuities, or changed from other continuities. And now we return to your regularly scheduled fanfic.

* * *

Akane lay on her bed, looking up at the roof. She sighed.

Ranma was apparently a boy. Ranma, the girl she thought would be a good friend, the girl who seemed to like martial arts, was a boy.

It was hard for her to envision it even - Ranma seemed more like a girl than anly boy she'd met, even though she seemed to use the male form of speech. She was a tomboy, sure, but she wasn't any more of a tomboy than Akane was.

It still hurt. It hurt a lot.

She sighed. Rolling around onto her side, she clutched the soft pillow she had in her arms harder. She just didn't know…

After a few seconds, she sat up. Maybe having a bath would clear her head.

She stood up, putting the pillow down on her bed, and walked to her cupboard. She'd have to get some clothes to wear after her bath.

* * *

Ranma sat in the bathtub, trying to relax. For some reason, though, she just couldn't seem to do so.

Maybe it was because she was in an unfamiliar home, and felt like she was intruding on them. Maybe it was the fear of someone joining her in the bath without any of the illusions the clothes her pops had made to protect her had.

Maybe it was because she was a she.

She dipped her head under the water, holding her breath. Then she remembered she didn't have to now.

She surfaced and let out a pained sigh. Ever since Jusenkyo, everything had changed. Nearly everywhere she and her pop had gone for the first few days, she'd been treated like a monster. And after what had happened in Nyucheizu… she shivered. She probably deserved that title after that.

Thankfully, she'd gotten her powers under control since then. She didn't want _anything_ like that to happen again.

A few days after the events in the Amazon town, she'd noticed her pop was starting to change. One minute, _he'd_ act normal, the next _she'd_ do something she could never see him doing before in _his_ life.

And for a time, Ranma had almost felt like she was losing herself, too. Every day, she remembered herself acting a little bit different, or weird, doing something she'd never done before as a man. But then one day it had stopped.

That was the same day that her pop had changed completely. After that day, she'd stopped doing all the things he did before - like stealing or training her at the crack of dawn (but her pop did still train her) - and started acting like an entirely different person, sometimes doing things that just made no sense.

She'd still wanted to return to Japan, of course, probably because of the 'fiance' thing. Ranma almost felt like growling at that. She'd marry who she wanted, dammit, not be forced into it!

Something tugged at her memory for a moment, but she dismissed it, thinking about the marriage for a bit.

Although, being entirely honest, if she hadn't been afflicted by this damned curse and turned into a monster, she might have actually chosen Akane; she was fairly cute, Ranma could admit, even if she was a bit of a tomboy. She'd have to talk to her and see if she still wanted to be friends.

Still, she supposed, thinking of hypotheticals was pretty useless when they weren't going to happen. She was going to find a way to cancel this fiance thing, whatever the thing was, then she was going back to China to cure her curse, and then, well, she'd think of that later.

She'd have to find a way to keep the powers like floating and teleporting, though. The powers were cool, now that she had them under control. But everything else…

She reached up to her ears, feeling the almost pointed ends, and shuddered. It felt wrong, having those things on her head. She ran her tongue along her teeth, feeling the sharp fangs that had replaced her canines.

She pulled her right arm out of the water, turning it to view the gem she'd woken up with the day she'd started to feel like herself again. Running a finger over it, she could feel herself shivering. It wasn't cold to the touch, but it was filled with power - so much more power than she'd ever felt in her life before all this had started, almost an endless well of it.

And what scared her was it all felt familiar - too familiar.

She sighed and floated upwards, water falling off her body as she banished the depressing thought from her head. While the furo was nice, it'd probably be dinner time soon. While she didn't _need_ to eat any more, she still liked to; her stomach being filled felt pretty good, and the speed training, while unnecessary, was still fun. She just wished she could taste again.

Just as she was about to float away from the furo, she saw the door to the room slide open. She froze.

* * *

Akane walked down the stairs, her stomach churning. She wanted to give Ranma another chance, she _wanted_ to, but at the same time, Ranma was a _boy_ before. A boy.

She shook her head. Hadn't she gone down to take a bath and take her thoughts off of this whole thing? Sighing, she continued down the stairs, stepping down to the lower floor.

Turning to the right, she walked through the halls of the compound. In less than a minute, she'd reached the changing room that lay outside the bathroom. Pulling off her clothes and undoing her ribbon, she grabbed a towel and started towards the bathroom.

She slid open the door and froze.

At first, she thought the girl floating above the furo was Ranma. But then she looked - _really_ looked. The girl was beautiful, almost ethereal, but in a way that seemed inhuman. Her pupils were slitted like some sort of cat, and her ears jutted out of the side of her head like an elf's ears would.

After a few seconds, the _monster_ that looked like Ranma slowly floated down onto the ground outside of the furo, her feet touching the ground a couple of seconds later.

Akane did the only thing she could: she screamed.

Or at least, tried to. Just as she'd opened her mouth to call for help, she felt a hand suddenly just appear over her mouth. The monster that had been floating over the furo was in front of her, just floating there with a panicked expression on her - no, _its_ face, its head swivelling to and fro.

After a few seconds it shook its head. Then, it looked Akane in the eyes; for a second, it looked almost vulnerable, but that second passed and the vulnerability was replaced with a begrudging acceptance. 'Guess it's better that it came out now, before-' Its bitter voice cracked. 'Before any sort of huge misunderstanding.'

Akane's eyes widened. That voice… that was-

'Yeah.' The monster- no, _Ranma_ , looked down. She scuffed her foot on the ground. 'I'm Ranma Saotome. Sorry 'bout this.'

* * *

Soun Tendo stared at the girl in front of him, his mouth hanging open for at least the third time that day. Beside him, Nabiki and Kasumi sat, both showing their surprise in their own ways - Nabiki seemed calm and collected, while Kasumi had her hand over her open mouth.

Ranma was looking at the ground, a forlorn expression on her face. She wore a set of Chinese silks and long black pants.

Akane had gone to her room after bringing Ranma out to the main room; she had told her she just needed to think for a little. She didn't seem to be angry though.

Ranma hoped she'd be able to get a friend..

Soun was the first to speak up. 'So that spring didn't just turn you into a girl…'

'It turned me into a monster too?' Ranma's voice was quiet. 'Yeah. I mean, I'm pretty sure it was called "Spring of Drowned Silver-Haired _Monster_ Girl' for a reason.'

'You're not a monster, just a very scared little girl in an unfortunate situation.'

Ranma looked up and behind her. Genma stood in the door there, a serious look in her face.

The silver-haired girl's eyes flickered to the side. 'I'm a guy.' Her voice was weak, without any of the fire she'd shown before.

Genma closed her eyes and massaged her eyelids. 'No, you're not. Not any more, at least.' She opened her eyes and gave Ranma a piercing stare. 'You need to realize that now.'

Ranma was silent.

After a couple of seconds, Genma sighed. She looked at the Tendos. 'I'm sorry this had to come out like this. If it was up to me, it would have been on my own terms, but unfortunately it looks like fate had other plans.' She gave a wry smile.

'So Ranma's just like any other girl?' Nabiki asked.

Genma nodded. 'Yeah.. She's quite the tomboy, of course, but given her origins, I'd be surprised if she wasn't.'

Ranma opened her mouth. After a few seconds of silence, she gave a sigh and slumped, her eyes trailing down to the ground.

'But anyway, don't treat her any different because of the way she looks.' Genma started to pace. 'Ranma's a human being, no matter how different she looks from you. She may have fangs and pointed ears, but she's got feelings and a heart, like the rest of you.' She stopped and gave the Tendos a piercing glare. 'Got it?'

Nabiki and Soun nodded (Soun rather frantically, Nabiki a bit less) while Kasumi gave a smile. 'Of course, Genma-chan,' she said.

Kasumi looked over at the clock, then blinked. 'Oh my!' She stood up. 'I'll go and prepare dinner, it's getting rather late.'

As Kasumi walked off, Nabiki rolled her eyes and stood up, walking off to her room.

Soun had seemed to grab a newspaper out of thin air, and started to read it.

Genma's face brightened. 'Alright then. Now that that's over and done with, let's get to the matter of school.'

Ranma's head snapped to face the small redheaded girl. 'School?' She was on her feet in a flash, the fire that had been in her eyes before returning with a vengeance. 'You want me to go to school like this!' She gestured to her body with one hand, the other pointing at her face. 'I can't go to school like this! Someone's going to find out!'

'Oh, calm down, you'll be _fine_ ; I'll find a way to disguise your features that doesn't require a set of clothes.' Genma waved an arm. 'Anyway, we can't really enrol you to school as "Ranma Saotome", considering your school records and family registry have you as a boy, which you're clearly not.'

Slowly, a smile spread across Ranma's face. 'Ha! Then you can't enrol me in school, you old hag!' She gave a smug smile.

'Now, I didn't say _that_.' Genma wagged a finger, a gleam in her eyes. 'I said we couldn't register you as _Ranma Saotome_.' She reached into her left pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, holding it out proudly. 'Good thing I know a little about creating false identities, miss _Hakubi._ '

Ranma's eyes widened, then her face contorted in rage. 'Gimme that!' she snapped, snatching the paper out of Genma's hands. She pulled it up to her face, straightening it out with a small rustling.

A few seconds later, she looked up from the paper, glowering at the small girl. 'What the hell is this!' She waved the paper around frantically.

Genma's grin was almost impossibly wide. 'You like it?' She started to chuckle.

'I'm not gonna go to school with a stupid name like _Ryoko_!'

'Well, that's too bad.' Genma's smile was entirely too smug. 'I already enrolled you in one of the local high schools.'

'WHAT!'

Soun pulled the newspaper up higher, sweat beading on his forehead as he tried to ignore the two arguing girls.

'Yes, I did. I enrolled you into the local high school, Furinkan High.' Ranma was about to open her mouth when Genma continued. 'And don't even _think_ about skipping. I'm going to be teaching there just in case you try it.'

'Oh yeah? How're you gonna teach if you don't have a teaching certificate?' The corners of Ranma's mouth curved into a smug smile. 'Besides, you look too young to teach; they'll just think you're a little kid.'

'Oh, you're not the only one I made a false identity for.' With a flourish, Genma produced from her pockets two pieces of paper. One of them was framed, and had a name scrawled on it in neat handwriting, while the other looked like the same type of sheet Ranma was holding in her hands.

Ranma's eyes flickered between the certificate and her father's face. 'What?'

Genma gave a saccharine smile. She bowed. 'Nice to meet you! My name is Washu Hakubi, and I'm Ryoko's mother and a science teacher for Furinkan High. But I prefer to be called Washu-chan… and you, Ryoko, can call me Mommy.'

Ranma rolled her eyes. 'Alright then, _Washu_.' The last word dripped with sarcasm. 'How are you going to teach the class as a little kid?'

'That… is a secret.' Genma winked.

Ranma growled.

* * *

Dinner was a sordid affair; Akane had been quiet and picked at her food, not paying much attention to anything, and while Ranma had kept up her speed training with her 'father', the silver-haired girl hadn't had as much fun as normal what with everything on her mind. So after she'd finished her dinner, Ranma had stood up and walked outside, before floating onto the roof, where she was now.

The stars above twinkled, each point of light in the sky almost a promise of a new world to explore. It was beautiful, yet at the same time it gave Ranma a sense of sad longing as she lay on the Tendo compound's roof.

Her feline eyes traced a shooting star flying through the night sky, her rough hands behind her head to keep it off the tiled roof. Ever since she'd been immersed in the spring, Ranma had found herself looking up at the night sky more and more often. She'd noticed, of course, but it was harmless - besides, she'd always looked up at the stars before. What was different about doing it now?

And why did her cheeks feel wet?

She brought a hand up to her face, wiping it clean. Unbidden, a name came to her lips - a name she remembered from her childhood, back when she was still a boy.

'Ten...chi...'

She grew quiet and thought back to those times that she'd had with the other boy as a kid at that shrine in Okayama - all those times she'd played with him. They'd hit it off real well, and she'd always felt safe around him for some reason. She didn't remember the details of their games too well - she would probably be able to, if she thought about it, but she didn't really feel like it at the moment.

She didn't even know why she was thinking about the boy. He'd probably forgotten her ages ago, back when she was still a guy all the time. Besides, she didn't get introspective - she was Ranma Saotome, greatest martial artist of her generation. A cocky grin split her face, and she banished the unwanted thoughts from her mind.

She thought back to dinner. The table had been mostly quiet, aside from the fighting over food between father and son - speed practice _was_ pretty fun, she had to admit. But she still didn't know how Akane felt. After they'd finished, she'd tried talking to Akane a couple of times, but the girl had just kept staring forward, like she was in a trance or something.

Maybe they'd be able to talk tomorrow.

After a couple of seconds, Ranma sighed. She didn't need to sleep any more, at least as much as a normal human being - she'd discovered that not too long ago - but she preferred to. It was better than staying up all night and doing nothing.

The silver-haired girl melted through the roof, floating down towards the futon that had been laid out for her. She settled down on the futon, pulling the blanket that had been placed there over her body, and closed her eyes.

Before the darkness claimed her, her last thought was of the young man who was her childhood friend.

Akane looked up to boy-turned-girl, who was walking on the wire fence at her left; she was wearing the Furinkan High uniform, and had a backpack with that same odd picture of a crab on it on her back. They were walking through the streets towards Furinkan High, Nabiki traipsing along on their right; it was another overcast day. She still didn't know how to feel about Ranma, but she supposed she'd give the girl a chance.

Or at least she'd try to. If she kept complaining about school, though, Akane would probably snap.

'I still can't believe that I have to go to school,' the bright-silver-haired girl grumbled from her perch atop the fence. 'I coulda just gone back to China and found a cure for this thing, but _nooo_ , apparently I have to go to _school_.' She crossed her arms over her chest with a humph. 'What's so important about school that the old man's forcin' me to go _now_?'

Akane couldn't help it; she snorted.

Ranma blinked, turning her head towards Akane. 'Huh? Why'd you do that?'

'It's just, you keep calling your dad an "old man" when it seems like he almost _wants_ to be a little girl.' She shook her head disdainfully. 'He's more of a pervert than anything.'

Ranma's lips creased into a smile, and she laughed. 'Yeah, pops is a pervert, alright. I've lost count of the number of times he's been slapped by a woman for starin'. Though, recently,,,'

Ranma trailed off and her smile faded, leaving an uncomfortable air of silence between the two. After a couple of seconds, though, the silver-haired martial artist shook her head; she wasn't just going to let things stay as they were. This time, she was going to take _action_. She jumped down off the fence in front of Akane, giving the black-haired girl a hearty smile. She stuck out her hand.

'So, my name's Ranma Saotome. Let's be friends, okay?'

For a few seconds, all Akane could do was stare at the other girl dumbly. But soon, the corners of her mouth turned up, and she found herself smiling; it was a pure, wide smile. 'Sure.' She brought her hand out and shook Ranma's. It wasn't especially traditional or common, but it was better than nothing.

After the handshake, the two of them just stood there awkwardly, smiling at each other.

'You two had better hurry up, or you'll be late for class.'

They spun around to face Nabiki, who was wearing a coy smile. 'Unless you'd prefer to play hooky, Akane?' Then she turned to the silver-haired girl, and her smile turned mischievous. ' _Ryoko_?'

Ranma's mood fell right away, and her eyebrow twitched. 'Quit callin' me that!' she snapped.

'Oh, I'm just helping you get used to it, _Ryoko_. After all, it'd be a shame if someone started calling you that at school and you freaked out, wouldn't it?'

Ranma just growled.

This morning, her pops had sprung the news of their fake names on the rest of the Tendo family. Akane and Kasumi had taken it in stride, but ever since then Nabiki seemed to be out to annoy the living crap out of her. She was like a shark - one who had smelt blood in the water.

'Oh, and that uniform looks great on you; I don't know what you were talking about earlier.' With that, the brown-haired girl turned around and walked away.

Ranma glared at Nabiki's retreating back, clenching her fists. Mentioning the uniform was crossing the line, in her opinion; she hadn't liked wearing dresses already, so the idea of having to wear a school uniform was something that she hated with a passion, especially a _girl's_ one. She almost felt like hurting the girl.

Almost. But Nabiki wasn't a martial artist; she was just a normal human being.

And even then, with Ranma's new powers and the temper she'd developed in the past two weeks, she had to have more control. Her fist slowly unclenched, relaxing.

'Ranma?'

The silver-haired girl looked over at Akane. 'Yeah?' Her voice still held an edge to it.

'I… I think Nabiki might have a point.'

'Whaddaya mean?' Ranma tilted her head.

Akane sighed. 'Well, since you're using the name Ryoko at school, won't it be a bit suspicious if every time you're called by that name, you get angry? I know she was being annoying there, sometimes even I want to punch her, but even I have to admit she has a point. She's probably actually trying to get you used to it.'

Ranma's face fell. After a couple of seconds, she sighed. 'You're right.' She shook her head. 'We'd better get going if we wanna get there before school starts… Akane? You okay?'

Akane's face had darkened, and she shook her head. 'No. No I'm not.'

Ranma stared at her for a couple of seconds, then looked away. 'I'll ask later.'

The two of them took off at high speeds.

While they ran, Akane took a look at Ranma. 'Hey… how do you look like that?'

'Eh? What are you talking about?' Ranma asked, her voice confused, but then her eyes widened. 'Oh, yeah! You mean like a normal human.' She gave a grin. 'Well, pops gave me some sorta device that he had me press into the gem on my wrist; he said it'd make me look like a normal human as long as I wanted it to. Too bad it's only an illusion.'

Akane's attention was caught for a second by a clinic, which flashed by at the speed they were running. She found herself thinking of Doctor Tofu for a couple of seconds, but banished the thought right away; they'd get to school soon, and given what happened there, she didn't want to be distracted.

Soon enough, they found themselves in front of the entrance to a high school. The sign on the side read 'Furinkan High School', and as Ranma continued to run forward, she noticed Akane's expression morph into a scowl.

She heard the black-haired girl, who was still barrelling forward at high speeds, mutter something under her breath.

'I… hate...'

And then she saw it.

A crowd of people - all boys around her age, all dressed in different sorts of outfits, all shouting Akane's name or something about dates.

'I... hate... men!' Akane's voice rose above the noise of the crowd, and Ranma could hear the pure _loathing_ in the words. She almost winced.

Just as the horde was about to reach them, Akane and Ranma jumped - Akane into the fray, and Ranma over the horde and onto the fence behind them.

Landing gracefully like a cat, Ranma simply watched as Akane masterfully dismantled the large crowd all on her own. If she were being honest, Akane was good like that - much better than her, at least. At least, before the spring. Still, she'd stay there and watch, just in case Akane needed some help.

'Ryoko!'

Ranma's head snapped towards the person saying that. It was Nabiki; she was standing on one of the high school's balconies a few stories up.

The odd thing was, this time, Nabiki didn't sound mocking. She sounded genuinely concerned.

'But-'

'Don't worry about Akane!'

Ranma looked back down.

Akane was standing there, in a field of unconscious bodies. She flicked her hair, clearly annoyed. 'Every morning! What a drag.'

'Truly, such a boorish lot.'

Ranma stiffened, looking over towards the source of the voice; out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Akane doing it too.

Standing there was a man she could only really describe as, well, something out of a shojo manga. He wore a white uwagi and a black hakama, and had short black hair; he held a rose up to his mouth in one hand, while in the other he held a bokken. His eyes were closed.

In other words, he looked ridiculous.

'Evidently, each of them intends to ask you out, Akane, on the dawn that he finally defeats you.'

'Good morning, Upperclassman,' Akane said. Her voice was almost bored.

The upperclassman looked over to Akane, opening his eyes as he flicked the rose towards her; it landed in her hand, and she caught it. 'Now, Akane Tendo, will you fight with me?'

Ranma jumped off the wall, landing next to Akane. 'You're pretty popular, aren't you?' she asked conversationally.

'Stay out of the way; you'll just get hurt.' Akane stepped forward, holding her book bag behind her and the rose in her other hand.

'...I don't understand what's happening.' Ranma's voice had a questioning tone to it.

Akane snorted, not taking her eyes off the upperclassman. 'You'll see.'

'You, silver-haired girl!'

Ranma blinked at the bokken pointing at her. 'Eh? Me?' She pointed at herself.

'Yes, you! You are being quite familiar with the fair Akane Tendo.'

Ranma leaned over. 'Tell him, Akane.'

'Tell him what?' Akane asked, glancing at Ranma for a second.'

'Who are you, _boor_?' the Upperclassman shouted, his voice loud enough to bring the two girls' attention back to him. Then his brows furrowed. 'Ah! But is it not tradition for one to give their own name first? Fine then! Mine I shall give!'

Ranma's face twisted, and she leaned back. 'W-well, if you want.'

The upperclassman was calm again. 'My name…'

He looked up, his eyes boring into the silver-haired girl. Thunder rumbled in the sky. '...is Upperclassman Kuno. Junior. Group E.' His eyes blazed. 'I am captain of Furinkan High's Kendo club, and the undefeated new star of the high school fencing world. But my peers call me…'

Lightning struck a nearby building. The flash lit up his face with an eerie glow. '...The White Lightning of Furinkan High.'

Up on the balcony next to Nabiki, one of the girls standing next to her wore a confused look on her face. 'White Lightning? That's the first I've heard of it.'

'Last I know he was still calling himself Burning Blaze,' Nabiki said, eyes half-lidded.

'Well, I'm staying at the Tendo dojo…'

Tatewaki's eyes flashed. Within a second, he'd moved in close and swung his bokken at Ranma. 'Such degeneracy under the same roof as Akane!'

The silver-haired girl's eyes widened, and she jumped to avoid the strike. In midair, she continued. 'I'm heir to the Saotome school of Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu…'

She pivoted into a graceful fall, a grin on her face and sparkle in her eyes. Pulling her backpack off in midair, she threw it towards Akane, shouting 'Catch!'

Stunned, the black-haired girl barely caught the bag as Ranma landed, not even in a stance. The grin on her face was clearly visible, though. 'My name's R-' Her grin faltered for a second as she remembered the false name she was given, but she plastered it back on her face and continued. 'Ryoko Hakubi, and I accept your challenge!'

'Wow! Some punk chick's taking on Kuno!'

'Kuno? That's crazy! She'll die if he takes her seriously!'

From the corner of her eye, Ranma noticed the balconies of the high school she was going to - all full of people, chattering incessantly about the fight that was about to start.

Lightning struck. The ground shook as thunder rolled over the area. The odd gleam in Kuno's eye turned into a blazing fury, and he held his bokken above his head. 'I, Upperclassman Kuno, shall bring you to justice… and show you the error of your ways! And then, once I have done that, you shall date with me, your mind free from whatever devilish influence it is under!'

'So who's hounding anybody?' Ranma asked snippily.

'Kuno, I don't know what you're thinking, but she's only staying with us!' Akane's voice was pleading.

Tatewaki's eyes flashed dangerously. 'Silence, devil!' he roared, good holding the bokken above his head. He charged forwards, towards Ranma.

The silver-haired girl's eyes narrowed. She pushed her feet up, propelling herself upwards, and twisted to land on the tree next to her. The kendo enthusiast sliced his bokken through the fence behind her, cutting through the bricks like paper.

She would have thought it was kind of impressive a couple of weeks ago. But now, it barely registered on her scale

Kuno blinked. The lack of an opponent that was split in half in front of him could mean only one thing - the cur had dodged. He looked around and a flash of silver caught his eye; he whipped his head to look towards it, and saw the cur standing - standing! - on the tree to his right's trunk.

He swung his sword, shearing through the tree like it was a stalk of bamboo.

Ranma jumped off the tree, almost feeling like scoffing. Kuno was pretty strong, all things considered, but he wasn't anywhere near as strong as her - even without the power that was in the gem in her wrist.

Which she didn't even dare to think of using.

He was also really annoying - jumping to a patently ridiculous conclusion that would have made her pops snort at it, back when he was still the way he used to be.

She landed on the ground, a twitch starting to develop in her eyebrow. 'Now hold on!'

In a flash, she moved - not teleported, just _moved_ \- in front of Kuno, glaring at him. 'Let me make this perfectly clear!

'I don't even know what you're thinking, but I am _not_ planning on getting in some sort of romantic relationship with Akane! She's a friend, but nothing more than that! Got it?'

Kuno's eyes narrowed, and in a flash he sliced his bokken towards Ranma at blistering speed. 'Your lies shall not fool me, cur! You shall not take the fair Akane's hand, if Tatewaki Kuno has… anything to say about it…' Kuno trailed off, his eyes almost bulging out of their sockets.

The fair Akane gasped from nearby, and up on the balconies, his adoring fans erupted into loud chatter.

That cur Hakubi was holding his sword in one - _one_ \- of her hands, and looked almost bored. 'Is that all?' she asked, picking at a nail with her other hand, her eyes on that hand instead of him. 'I thought you would've been stronger than that, considerin' all the shit you've been talking. But nope.' She looked up to meet his eyes, her eyes slitted like a cat's. 'Just a weak idiot who doesn't know when he's outmatched.' She squeezed.

Lightning lit up the sky, leaving Ranma's face in shadow aside from her glowing eyes, and thunder rumbled. The bokken shattered, fragments of wood falling onto the ground.

Kuno staggered back, his eyes wide and full of fear. 'D-demon,' he whispered, falling to his knees. Drops of rain started to fall from the sky.

Ranma turned to Akane, her eyes crinkling as she smiled. 'Hey, we'll be late for class if we don't get going…' She trailed off, and a mischievous spark lit up in her eyes. 'Actually, hold on; gotta do something quickly.' Then she turned around to face Kuno again.

She walked towards the boy, who was frozen there like a statue. 'Oh, Upperclassman?' She leaned in towards Kuno, an innocent smile on her face. 'Could you make it so that those boys lying around on the ground stop coming after Akane? Actually, could you leave Akane alone too?' She opened her eyes and mouth, still smiling, but it sent off warning signs in Kuno's head; she looked more like a shark than a human. 'Otherwise, that bokken won't be the only thing in pieces.'

She stood up, smiling more innocently again, and turned around to face Akane. Walking forwards with a spring in her step, she caught up to the other girl, who was staring at her like she was crazy. 'Come on, then. Let's go.'

Akane just kept staring at her.

She blinked, tilting her head. 'Akane? What's wrong?'

'...You're an idiot.' Akane grabbed on to the other girl's arm, and started walking forward towards the school, dragging the silverhead along behind her through the grassy field; Ranma didn't fight back.

'Hey! What'd I do?'

Akane slammed the door to the girl's bathroom, before turning around to glare at Ranma who was leaning on the wall of one of the stalls. 'Do you even know what you just did?'

Ranma arched an eyebrow. 'I beat some jackass who was trying to force you on a date with him, and made him stop tryin' to do that ever again?'

Akane's anger evaporated, and her face went blank. 'You… you really don't know, do you?' she asked blankly.

Ranma's expression morphed into a look of confusion, and she stood up straight. She shook her head.

Akane sighed. 'Kuno was the one who got those boys to come after me in the first place. One day he just told them that if they wanted to date me, they had to defeat me. From that day on, every morning, all of the boys would attack me to get me to go out with them. Needless to say, he isn't very bright.' She paused. 'Actually, that's an understatement. Kuno is a complete and total delusional idiot, who won't even be bothered by a display like that one you put on there.'

'Well, he seemed pretty bothered to me.'

The black-haired girl snorted. 'Trust me, he's not. Tomorrow he'll come up and act like nothing ever happened. He'll probably start chasing after you, too.'

Ranma blinked. Then her face twisted in disgust. ' _Ugh_.' She shivered. 'Even if I _liked_ guys - which I don't, by the way - I wouldn't even touch that idiot.'

'Now you know how I feel.' Akane nodded, clearly pleased she'd gotten her point across.

But then she glowered at Ranma again. 'But that's not the only reason you're an idiot!'

'Eh?'

'When Kuno attacked you with his bokken, you blocked it one-handed and shattered it, but the fact that you blocked it anyway makes me wonder if you've got a death wish!'

Ranma blinked. 'Whaddaya mean?'

'Did you see how easily he cut through that brick wall like it was nothing? And that tree?' Akane's voice cracked..'Imagine that happening to your hand or body! If I tried something like that, I wouldn't be standing here to talk about it with you!'

'...Oh.'

'Yeah, "oh"!' Akane shook her head, her eyes glistening. 'I-I thought you were going to die!'

Ranma opened her mouth, about to say something along the lines of ' _I knew I could take him_ ,' or _'Good thing I'm harder than I look_ '. But she stopped. She closed her mouth.

Akane had started to cry.

Hesitantly, she did something she'd never done before herself, but that she'd seen done a couple of times before: she wrapped her hands around the other, shorter girl, pulling her in close into a hug. 'Sorry,' she said lamely.

For a while, Akane just cried onto the taller girl's chest. For Ranma, though, it was kind of uncomfortable, since Akane was just tall enough that her head was level with Ranma's breasts.

Ranma didn't like being reminded she had breasts. But she didn't want to be rude, so she just let the other girl stay there, occasionally giving her a small awkward pat on the back.

After a couple of minutes, Ranma lifted her hands off the other girl, pulling away gently, and spoke up. 'Um, shouldn't we be gettin' to class now?'

Akane froze. Then without warning, she grabbed onto Ranma again.

' _This is starting to feel kinda familiar,_ ' Ranma thought as she let the other girl lead her along.

Akane stopped in front of the classroom, breathing lightly. 'This is our class,' she said, gesturing towards the closed door. Above it there was a sign that read '1-F'.

Ranma blinked. From behind it, she could hear a bunch of voices chattering. She heard some people talking about Kuno, and mentioning 'the weird new girl'.

She pulled the door open, and the chatter stopped.

'Oh? Akane-kun?' From behind the desk at the front, the person who was obviously the class teacher looked towards the two girls standing at the door. He was an average-looking man; not too tall, and not too short If you were to look in a crowd, he was the type of person to fade into the background.

Then his eyes widened, and he pounded a fist into the other. 'Oh, yes! That's what I forgot!'

Turning towards the class again, the teacher cleared his throat. 'We have a new transfer student to our class coming today.' Looking over towards the two girls who stood there, his eyes zeroed in on the taller one. 'Why don't you come on in and introduce yourself?

Ranma stared at him.

'Come on, don't be scared.' This time the teacher was beckoning her towards him.

With an internal shrug, Ranma walked over towards the man. She stopped next to his desk, and turned to face the class.

A bunch of curious faces stared back at her.

She grit her teeth for a couple of seconds, then smiled. 'My name is R-' She paused, and corrected her train of thought. 'Ryoko Hakubi. It's nice to meet you all.' She bowed, hoping by the kami that it looked convincing.

The teacher looked over towards her again. 'Oh, by the way Ryoko-kun, before I forget, you and Akane-kun are on bucket duty for being so late.'

Ranma felt like swearing.


End file.
